Chapter 36: Opening Press Conference

With the hit success of *On the Beach at Night Alone*, topics regarding Li Xiaoran, topics regarding Tian Zhuangzhuang, and topics regarding Cao Yang are becoming more and more frequent.

Among them, everything related to Li Xiaoran is praise—praise for her acting, praise for her beauty, and some public intellectuals have even begun to tout Li Xiaoran as a representative of independent women.

You make one movie and suddenly you're a new-era independent woman?

It’s baffling.

Regarding Old Tian, the discussions are mainly in tabloids and online, mostly expressing pity for him, saying that if it weren't for his years of being banned from directing, he would have long since become a world-renowned master director like the National Master or Chen Kun.

They even provided proof: a certain coal boss bragged to the media that he had invested in this film and only opened his wallet because of Tian Zhuangzhuang—if it weren't his own film, why would Tian Zhuangzhuang be so invested?

A junior student doesn't know a damn thing about film; he was just pushed out as a puppet, and Old Tian was the one truly pulling the strings.

From there, they cut to the main point and began attacking the censorship system, blah blah blah...

Regarding Cao Yang, there are two schools of thought.

One group believes Cao Yang is just a figurehead director and that it was actually filmed by Tian Zhuangzhuang; how could a junior student possibly film such a good movie?

The other group believes Cao Yang just got incredibly lucky, looking at those blunt, simple shots—constantly using fixed zooms and ultra-long takes—who couldn't do that? If he hadn't encountered the god-like acting of Li Xiaoran, let alone a Silver Bear, he wouldn't even have made it into the main competition section.

There are even quite a few directors calling out in the media, wanting to collaborate with Li Xiaoran, hoping to take a shot at the highest awards of the European Big Three.

The implication is: give me a Li Xiaoran, and I could do it too, and I could do it even better.

This time, the opening press conference for *Empty House* attracted a huge number of media outlets.

Before the press conference, production manager Cheng Jianye even asked Cao Yang if he wanted to screen the media to avoid things getting out of hand.

Cao Yang had originally thought about screening them, but then he realized: if you screen them, won't the media blocked from the venue report on it anyway?

It’s better to let them in so it’s easier to control.

Sure enough, at the *Empty House* opening press conference, aside from the local media in Ludongdao asking a few relevant questions, most of the others asked about things outside the film.

Tian Zhuangzhuang didn't attend today's press conference; he figured there would be trouble, so he decided to just stay away to avoid the headache.

Besides, what the hell is an artistic director doing at an opening press conference anyway?

So, it was just Cao Yang leading a group of actors on stage.

Yu Feihong has some fame, but not much; nothing worth reporting.

Liu Ye? Don't know him, not worth the column space.

Wu Qihua—many reporters recognize him as Fang Tangjing from *Hail the Judge*, that guy who’s so punchable. Of course, what’s even more impressive are his art films like *Sex and Zen*...

That might be worth a small mention; it might increase newspaper sales.

"Director Cao, the shots you used in *On the Beach at Night Alone* were very blunt. May I ask if this new film will stick to that same style?"

This was a reporter from Sina Entertainment; the question was at least related to the new film, which counts as relatively friendly.

Cao Yang smiled and replied: "When I filmed *On the Beach at Night Alone*, I had just finished my sophomore year. You might not know this, but in our school, we only learn the basics before the end of our sophomore year, so when I made that film, I only knew these basic things."

"Ah?" The Sina Entertainment reporter hadn't expected Cao Yang to say that.

"I'm a junior now, and I've learned a lot of professional knowledge, so for this film, I will apply the professional knowledge I've learned."

"Have you forgotten? This is a student practice film; it's a test and application of what I've learned. You can just watch and see if I can put that knowledge to practical use."

That’s a joke, right?

Many reporters chuckled, playing along with the joke. "Director Cao, some say *On the Beach at Night Alone* was directed by Director Tian Zhuangzhuang. Is that true?"

Cheng Jianye stood up, wanting to stop such baseless claims, but he was pressed back down by Cao Yang just as he stood up.

"Yes, you're right. Tian Zhuangzhuang was the cinematographer for this film, so those shots were definitely filmed by him."

Cao Yang said with a smile: "You can report it directly, saying those simple, blunt shots were all filmed by Tian Zhuangzhuang. I’d quite like to see what his expression would be then."

"Haha..."

Many people laughed. Everyone knows Tian Zhuangzhuang is a Fifth Generation director, and that generation of directors is best at playing tricks with the camera; those in the know wouldn't think it was Old Tian's idea.

"Director Cao, some say that *On the Beach at Night Alone* winning two Silver Bears is entirely due to Li Xiaoran's merit. What is your take on that?"

Cheng Jianye couldn't hold back anymore, picked up the microphone, and reminded them: "Friends from the media, this is the opening press conference for *Empty House*. Please note, it is an opening press conference. Please do not ask unrelated questions. Thank you for your cooperation."

"Alright, I'll answer this last question. The rest of you eager friends, please don't stir up trouble. Let's not turn the *Empty House* opening press conference into a celebration party for *On the Beach at Night Alone*, okay?"

As Cao Yang finished this sentence, the reporters below all laughed, and the atmosphere eased up significantly.

Regardless, asking such an awkward question and having the director not get angry and answer every question—that was already giving them plenty of face.

!

"Li Xiaoran's acting in *On the Beach at Night Alone* is something everyone has witnessed, and it won her the first Berlin Best Actress award for the mainland."

Cao Yang set the tone first, then continued: "But to say it's entirely her merit isn't quite right. After all, a film isn't just her; there are other actors and staff. If it weren't for these people, she wouldn't have been able to act, right?"

"How much credit can you take, Director Cao?" a reporter shouted.

Cao Yang smiled and counted on his fingers, one by one.

"I directed the film, I initiated the project, I wrote the script, and I made the final call on her being the lead actress... how much do you think I can take? Alright, let's get to the main point."

The opening press conference for *Empty House* almost turned into a special session for *On the Beach at Night Alone*, but in the end, it remained controllable.

The reporters hadn't expected Cao Yang to answer every question. Since the director gave them so much face, they couldn't be too tactless. After all, this isn't the paparazzi era yet; everyone is a professional.

Of course, this is only on the surface. Don't think reporters of this era were weak; reporters in this day and age would name names when writing articles to insult people—it was quite direct.

Which big star hasn't been named and shamed? Which director hasn't been named and shamed? Even the National Master and Chen Kun were directly targeted—they’d call you out by name.

Actually, the larger media outlets are still quite friendly toward Cao Yang; this era is very tolerant of young people.

A student director in his twenties, no matter why he succeeded, even the most jealous people, without concrete evidence, would at most make a few snide remarks; they wouldn't personally step into the ring to attack him head-on.

Why? Just because he is young, and just because he is a student at the Beijing Film Academy.

Of course, this doesn't mean the media won't report it. They won't name him, but they can use other forms.

For example, they can interview a passerby and use the passerby's mouth to say what they want to say.

As for how this passerby just happens to say exactly what they want, well, that can only be called a total coincidence.

Additionally, they can add specific words, such as "it is said," "it is rumored"...

Don't think too highly of ordinary media, and don't think too poorly of them either. Having a bias is normal; it's interest-related. Just treat it with a calm heart.

Thanks again to the brothers for the monthly tickets and recommendations, thank you, thank you!

(End of chapter)